Selection Testing for the Service Dog

This constitutes an "entrance exam"
for potential Service Dog Candidates.
Of utmost importance in the development of the Service Dog candidate is that
the individual dog be evaluated for inclusion into a program. An
understanding of behavior of the Service Dog is necessary to make the
evaluation as well as experience in training and selecting dogs for
potential use as Service Dogs. There are many ideas about selection testing
and many are valid. Often an experienced evaluator may spend only a short
time with the dog to determine whether it is appropriate. To carry a test
too far when the outcome of the test is obvious may dissuade the owner from
disposing of the dog as he/she observes the results of the test. To continue
to carry out a test where the result is completely negative is not only a
waste of time but also a potentially damaging experience for the dog. The
evaluator must also be cognizant of the dog's owner. A self-righteous
attitude or conducting the test without concerns for the owner will most
certainly meet the dog or the owner with hostility and rightfully so. Also
be aware that the seller may have more experience than the evaluator which
can be used to either benefit the evaluator or to obscure the results of the
tests.
While preparing to run the formal tests on the prospect the evaluator must
first have some information from which to begin. The age of the dog will
determine to an extent the performance of the dog. To expect a ten-month-old
puppy to complete these tests would normally be ludicrous as well as
potentially damaging to a dog, which could mature to be a fully capable
Service Dog candidate. These exams have been developed for evaluating the
dog, which has had some pre-training. Normally this is a dog, which comes
from a sport dog club.
Testing should occur in a neutral environment for the dog. It should not be
done at a sport-training field. A good location is a park or other area with
cover. It should be a location that the dog has not been before. Upon
arrival take a few minutes to have the handler walk off and play with his
dog. Observe the way the dog reacts to play and to his new environment. Is
the dog comfortable and ready to play or is it concerned about it’s new
surroundings and won’t play because it is suspicious. Will the dog explore
without its handler? Or does it not wish to be away from his handler's
support in this new place? Ideally the dog will be alert and curios, willing
to explore its new environment but also checks up on his handler. When the
handler initiates play the dog should gladly participate. If other people
walk through the area he should be aware of their presence and even wish to
investigate. If a stranger walks up to the handler does the dog come to
investigate or does he not notice? If the dog comes to the handler while in
conversation with a stranger what does the dog do? Ideally the dog should be
curious and interested in these events. Warning signs about problem
temperament are excessive sharpness in the new environment, unwillingness to
play with the handler, unwillingness to explore, or completely unaware of
humans within the environment. These informal observations are quite
important, as they will also tell you about the dog's socialization,
relationship with the handler (pack and play drives, submissive drive, and
rank drive). If this dog is being brokered through an individual other than
the handler many of these observations will tell the evaluator about the
dogs ability to adapt to a new handler.
Next formal testing will begin. It is important that the owner of the dog be
informed about the tests. It is also important that the decoy being used be
experienced in training all phases of Service Dog work and have an
understanding of how to instantly recover the dog if placed in a situation
which the dog has problems. You would not go test drive a car and wreck it
hand it back to the seller and say "I don’t think this is the car for me I
wrecked it too easily". If in the future this person wishes to sell a dog
you can be sure that you won’t be allowed to evaluate it and quite probably
won’t even be offered the opportunity to purchase another.
TEST #1
Stake out. Place the dog on a 6-8’ cable on a tree or post. Do not use a
solid backstop. Allow the dog to stay on the stake out for: 05-: 10 minutes
alone. Observe his behavior, it should be curious and attentive. After a
while a stranger (decoy) should walk towards the dog making strong eye
contact and moving in a oncoming but left to right pattern. Each time the
decoy changes direction he may pause and face the dog with additional strong
eye contact. The decoy should be carrying something odd such as a bucket or
a leafy tree branch just to attract attention. The decoy must advance upon
the prospect in a zigzag pattern pausing occasionally and making strong
direct eye contact with the dog. Observe the dog's reaction as the decoy
presses closer and closer in a slow irregular pattern. Does the dog become
attentive and alert at first? Or does he simply ignore the situation? When
does the dog show behaviors in an attempt to thwart a threat? Does the dog
initiate a challenge? Does he show play or submissive behavior
solicitations? When does survival drive manifest and in what way does it
appear? All these observations are taken not as a pass fail type of test but
as information about the temperament of the candidate. Immediately move to
test number two.
TEST #2
Pursuit and search. Immediately after the first test the dog who is to
continue testing shall be removed from the stake out and held by the collar
as a decoy in a suit appears at a small wooded area in the distance (100
yards or so) he shall be dressed in a protection suit. The decoy shall
attract the dog's attention and run for 15-20 yards in the direction of the
dog still attracting attention. The decoy shall then run away and out of
sight. After about: 45 to 1:00 the handler will be instructed to let the dog
go. The dog should search either by air scent or ground scent for the decoy.
The decoy shall be crouched in a hiding position out of sight. The dog
should show great intensity to search and be able to locate the decoy with
no encouragement or assistance from the handler who should stay back and not
interfere with the dog. Once found the dog should either engage the decoy or
bark with great enthusiasm. The dog should not leave the man once he is
located. Immediately move to test number three.
TEST #3
Muzzle test. The dog should be placed in a comfortable agitation style
muzzle and fit and security should be checked. The decoy, no longer in a
suit shall approach the dog with a stick in hand while the handler holds the
dog on a short lead (6’). The decoy must attract attention to him and when
the dog is alert attack the handler. The dog should respond be engaging in
strong combat (if the dog is concerned about the muzzle he must still engage
in combat but the desire to remove the muzzle must not be judged too harshly
as long as the dog still shows the desire to engage in combat and pursue).
Immediately after the dog begins to show a strong desire to fight the decoy
should flee. As the decoy gets 20-30 paces away the handler should be
instructed to release the dog. Once the dog again makes contact with the
decoy who is trying to elude him the decoy will turn toward the dog briefly
and strike him once or twice on the less sensitive part of his body with a
flexible stick once or twice. The dog should not be thwarted by these
assaults and ideally should show an escalation of combat behaviors. The
experienced evaluator will be able to evaluate these behaviors even in the
dog that shows sensitivity to the muzzle and tries to fight to remove the
muzzle. This test may be repeated in a suit for the dog who is intensely
muzzle sensitive, in this instance the quality of the grip and
purposefulness of the fight must be closely examined.
TEST #4
Tracking test. Take the dog to a lush field where a persons passage through
the vegetation can be readily seen. Have a subject who is carrying some form
of discrete protection equipment cross the field in such a manner as to
prevent the dog from approaching from down wind. The decoy should make a
large and intense disturbance by scuffling of the feet, spitting in his path
and moving slowly through the field as the dog observes from a good
distance. The decoy should then continue out of sight of the dog and the dog
placed out of sight. After the decoy has hidden after traveling 300 or so
paces bring the dog back into the field. The handler should then be
instructed to leave the dog on lead until they enter the field. Once in the
field instruct the handler to remove the lead and encourage his dog to
search briefly. The handler should move to the area where the track crosses
the field at a right angle to the path of the decoy. When the dog reaches
the area of the path he should display interest in following the path purely
out of curiosity. If he does so the handler should say nothing to distract
the dog merely follow. Ideally the dog will gain in his attention to the
path and follow it. Some breaking of attention is acceptable. If the dog
does poorly on this test repeat the test with the handler as the track layer
and the evaluator as the handler (in the case of dogs with no formal
training in any style of tracking the evaluator may elect to begin with the
handler as the track layer).
TEST #5
Play test. Have the handler play tug-o-war with the dog with a rolled up
towel. If the dog plays with the handler will he play with a stranger? Once
the dog is enjoying the game will he search for his toy when thrown out of
sight? How long will he search for the missing toy? Will the dog initiate
play with his handler or others?
The selection tests must be viewed as an opportunity to view the dogs
potential and must be weighed in respect to the dog's previous training if
any. The dog must be at an acceptable level of maturity to undergo the full
onslaught of the tests. The more immature and/or untrained the dog is the
less intense the examination must be. To assume that naive dog can perform
at the level that a SchH III dog has the potential to on these examinations
defeats the purpose. To accept the level of a good naive dog’s performance
from a SchH III would be disastrous. Experience in evaluating dogs is an
absolute necessity prior to applying these tests.
TEST #6
Gunfire test. In this test a .38cal. Handgun or equivalent is used with
blanks. The handler is asked to walk away from the evaluator with the dog
and may play with the dog. 4 to 6 rounds are discharged from the handgun
slowly. The dog should not shy away or appear spooked by the sound. Barking
is acceptable as long as the dog’s demeanor shows that it is not barking
from fear or survival drives. The dog should be able to play immediately
after the gunfire (if the dog stays focused on the evaluator after the gun
shots and will not play have the handler walk away to another location to
play).
Once the dog is accepted for training continual evaluation of his progress
will begin. The selection test does not guarantee success and the
possibility of discontinuing the work should always be considered for any
dramatic problems which do not respond to training and which could pose
safety concerns and performance concerns for critical tasks.